Eli5: How do placebos’ trick our brain into thinking they do something? How do we eventually get healed if the placebo didn’t do anything in the first place?
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1) confirmation bias: you take something and you are convinced it will help you. You start to notice little signs of feeling better. You assume it’s due to what you took. You also selectively start to look for information confirming your assumptions – while at the same time denying evidence for the opposite. (“uh my headache is getting worse despite of the pill I took. Imagine how bad it would be if i wouldn’t have taken that pill!”)
2) it reduces stress: You did something to feel better, you are convinced it will help – this immediately reduces stress and makes you feel better emotionally. The fact that you are now also relaxing can have a beneficial effect on your health and wellbeing, and it can even reduce the actual symptoms.
However, a placebo doesn’t heal you. Most things we take pills for in our everyday life (and also most things people take literal sugar pills for) are minor things that will pass by themselves, no matter what. Headache, upset stomach, a cold etc would all go away in hours or days anyways.
Placebos trick your brain into thinking you are going to feel better anytime soon – and you do, due to stress relief. Placebos are also used in actual medicine, by the way. Lots of research for example goes into the design of pills, for example (size, color, taste), because if a pill also *looks* like it will have a big effect, people usually are more satisfied by the outcome. Sadly, people also ascribe better effects to more expensive pills…
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